The Next Gen
by dysfunctional123
Summary: 7 years passed since the war and Naruto's adventures are almost over, so the torch is passed on to the next line of young shinobi. Meanwhile an older Hanabi meets a stranger that she may never forget, no matter how much she wants to. M for future chapters, gore, lemons, ect. HanabiXOC
1. Chapter 1 Meeting

**All right everyone, this is my very first fanfic. I've created new characters and themes to work around with, and I'm sorry to say that Naruto is NOT a main character in this story. His apprentice, however, will have a large role in the story, but still not the main character. One main character is an invented one, while the other is an existing, incredibly underdeveloped and untouched character in the Narutoverse. A couple of things to say before I let you read this baby.**

**The biggest thing is that I left a few loose ends pertaining to character traits and development on purpose. The reason was to put the reader, hopeful you, who's reading this now, can get the feeling of being dropped off into a somewhat familiar, but still very different world. Some characters are unnamed until the very end of this chapter to further develop the feeling of not knowing exactly who's who, but getting an idea. Major character development will be in next chapter, so don't fret.**

**I suck at battles. I'm sitting here, proofreading, praying to god that people understand exactly what's going on in the coming fight (you'll get to it soon). I really hope that I'm wrong about my ability to illustrate a fight, and if I prove my pessimistic statement right, I apologize.**

**I've tried to keep *most* of the characters accurate in abilities and personality, but you'll see changes to different characters' (Im really overusing that word aren't I) throughout this series. Already you'll see two new jutsu in this chapter that are pretty strange. **

**Naruto will have a big change. Since he really is only a side character I thought I'd help the atmosphere of the story as well as do some fan service by making him famous, constantly referenced by anyone and everyone. He may not actually appear for a bit, though**

**This chapter is LONG. I'm talking 7,064 words long, nt including this intro. Most likely I won't make another chapter as long as this one, but we'll see. I'd like to hear your opinion on that. **

**Disclaimer: Blah Blah Blah, I don't own Naruto, Blah Blah Blah..**

**Final thing: A review would be really awesome of you guys. I really just want to know what you think of it and how it can be improved. Without your opinion I can't make the story better, so please, please leave a review to say you loved it, hated it, whatever. No matter what you say it would really mean a lot to me.**

_ beginning of chapter _

It was a simple night. The light of the waning moon reflected on any metal surface in its wake, instantly brightening the expansive city laid out below. A cool wind rushed across the night air, gently pulling blades of grass with it as it passed. Nothing made a sound, barring the crickets that chattered lightly throughout the summer nights.

In the city there was peace. Streetlights revealed a few rebellious friends up after curfew. They laughed and spoke quietly, but each turned their heads around in succession, on watch for the captors, namely their parents, that would end their fun. Most windows were shut, but a few were slightly ajar, radiating bright yellow light onto the buildings adjacent. One open window in particular would beckon the curiosity in anyone that happened to be looking there. In the window two lovers joyfully shared the night in bed. They cast long shadows on the wall of the room, replicating every action to perfection.

A lone figure sat and watched all of this from a stone lock of hair of the Fifth Hokage that jutted out from the canyon rock face that overlooked the city. The figure looked up at the stars to find one in particular; the North star. They say that the North star always guides a noble man home. Noble the man was not, but he figured it was worth a shot. The figure traced a line from the star to the ground, slowly transcending upon the city. He sighed and leaned back on his hands; he had drawn this line multiple times that night…

_ scene change _

Although the Hidden Leaf was called a village, it was truly a city in and of itself. Housing more people than any other of the five ninja villages, as well as being the largest, should certainly put itself among the largest cities in the Land of Fire, or even in the 5 Great Shinobi Nations. The village certainly grew since the 4th Shinobi World War 7 years ago. In fact, everything seems to have changed. The city has rebuilt and expanded, due to the leveling of the surrounding area during Naruto Uzumaki's famed fight with Pain. The village still had a homey kind of feel to it, but a bit newer and more chic look. More TV screens and glass was utilized throughout the city, and the metal used for siding had a material in it that allowed it shine in the light. Red metal roofs were still the villages trademark, though, albeit with more glamor to it than before. The Hokage's building was made taller with a more steep slope, preventing enemy ninja from climbing it's walls.

While the Hokage's building had been modified the Hokage herself was still Tsunade, the busty slug princess and legendary medic. Her appearance hadn't changed a bit, using one of her jutsu to keep the blonde mistress looking young, to every man in the village's delight. But, of course, to a man's glee came a woman's jealousy. She was the object of envy and scorn from all of the women that had laid eyes on her. They all wished that they could look like her, or be as renowned as her, or be able to walk around town shamelessly getting piss-drunk without a care in the world like her. Oh yes, her demise would be the death of the village, but to some particularly self conscious (and completely insane) women, it was _more _than all right. But despite the mixed feelings of the female population, Tsunade was overall adored as a Hokage, with the entire village willing to follow her orders at a moment's notice.

At her side was the Deputy, a new position of power in the Leaf, created 4 years ago. The Deputy acted as a mixture between the Hokage's adviser, bodyguard, and major general. The Deputy's role was absurdly important in the order of succession as well; if a Hokage did not designate a successor before their retirement or death, the Deputy would automatically assume the position. Shizune was obviously the first asked to become the Deputy, seeing as she had been doing the job long before the position was created, but she declined, proclaiming that she was not fit to be a Hokage if the above circumstance had occurred. Instead, Tsunade appointed the only other one fit for the position. Kakashi Hatake had assumed the role of Deputy a few days later.

Moreover, there was another position that followed the Deputy in rank called the Vise. The Vise was basically a dumbed-down Deputy. He or she had the same roles as the Deputy, but to a lesser extent, and his military power was stifled by the two higher-ups if deemed necessary. Moreover, if both the Deputy and Hokage step down or die before designating a successor, the Vise must also get a vote from the townspeople to be able to become Hokage. Although, even with these restrictions, the Vise had incredible political and military power as the third highest ranking member of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

The Vise was named Katsumi Morokata (Ka-tsu-me More-O-kata), the highest ranking ANBU Black Ops shinobi, apparently. Not much was know about him when he was first appointed as the Vise, but over the past 4 years he had become a distinguished, respected, and trusted member of the leaf. He was a kind man, if not overly strict when it came to things that he was passionate about. And passionate he was — almost to a fault. He had an almost maniacal sense of duty for his village, willing to give his life a thousand times over to protect it. Of course, he also had a love for other things. He had gone to an island away from the Land of Fire on a top secret mission and had brought back its culture. He had grown to love the strange fruit called pineapple, and persuaded Tsunade to allow him to plant a few trees across the village. He consumed these awkward, prickly fruits with fervor, and even credited his good health to them. The weird shinobi also enjoyed playing a beat on metallic drums from time to time to get himself focused. He even carried around a set of bongos on his back to play for the amusement of himself and the citizens passing by. It was a famous rumor among the shinobi that he used them as a weapon as well, though it held no weight and had eventually dissipated into the wind. But despite all of his colorful 'island habits', as people in the Leaf called it, he was still carrying a rather bland personality that came with the ANBU environment. Whenever he wasn't absurdly energetic about his passions he was almost stiff as board. He preferred to be by himself mostly, and when he was among people he would act overly tense and serious with a frowning face similar to what one might make while taking a shit. But his forte was his death stare. Much like Captain Yamato he possessed a stare that could halt wind currents. His stares, observant, judging, and strategic, granted him the nickname "The Black Bailiff". He didn't seem to mind the name, but overtly corrected those who were to let the epithet slip while in earshot.

He was a strange one, that Katsumi.

But of course, the most change came from the shinobi. The next generation had completely taken over due to loss of several of the older ninja. The academy students of 7 years ago were now teaching academy students today. The famed fiery Naruto-clone Konohamaru from the Sarutobi clan was now a 19-year-old chunin, constantly complaining to Tsunade with increasing failure about his lack of a rank upgrade to the highly touted Jonin.

Oh, and another thing about the Hokage; it was _very_, _**Very**_, _**VERY **_wise not to piss her off. Some teenage citizen jokingly hung sign on a pineapple tree besides the Hokage's building that read: _"Warning: Before you stare at her boobs, keep in mind that she is faster than you, stronger than you, more skilled than you, and most importantly, more merciless than you. Furthermore, __**touching**__ the woman's assets may lead to forced gender reassignment. Proceed with caution__". _To this day the sign is kept on the tree and cherished by comedians around the village.

Of course, this rule was broken time and time again by the pesky Konohamaru. He dared not to touch her gargantuan breasts lest the castration warning be fulfilled, but boy did he get on Tsunade's nerves. At least once every conversation with her did he bring up his rank and lack of promotion, and Tsunade hated this with every beautiful cell in her body. She even went as far as to threaten demoting him to genin to stifle his constant pleading.

_He was definitely Naruto, _she would confirm to herself.

A rumor was even passed around that konohamaru was a mutated shadow clone of Naruto's that had become almost permanent. It went as far as to say that given hard enough of a whack, the mule-stubborn chunin would vanish with a signature shadow clone "poof". This lead to a few villagers approaching Konohamaru, proceeding to knock the piss out him and fleeing the scene before the flustered Sarutobi could had skillfully created and spread the rumor to mess with the kid, and when confronted by Konohamaru she even more cleverly framed Naruto. Naruto was confounded by his now furious rival for weeks.

Meanwhile Udon and Moegi, now also chunin, were still hanging around with Konohamaru. The Three Musketeers, as those from their class would call them, went on every mission together, and were known for their incredible teamwork. The team refused to be lead by anyone other than Konohamaru (which contributed to the restriction of Konohamaru becoming a jonin), getting them into trouble again and again.

Tsunade called them The Three Brats of the Leaf for their stubbornness and immaturity. Even the docile Udon stuck to his best friends' rash methods, albeit with restraint, earning criticism from the person he least desired to scold him; Moegi. He had developed quite the crush for the rosy — cheeked kunoichi. His hesitance to rush in balls-out sparked the annoyance of the teammate he desired most, but was still unable to shake his diffident ways.

Udon's pain and valiant struggle for his teammate's affection was that meant for shitty chick-flicks. Every time he would be turned down the audience (made up mostly of teenage girls and their now dying-of-boredom boyfriends) would moan "Awwww," and when (if) he actually succeeded in wooing Moegi the audience would shout and cry like newborns that had just come out of the womb. Still, the effort was admirable, however pathetic, and very much a driving force for the young chunin.

Although the likes of Konohamaru did not make Jonin, a few students were actually accepted to this high position. A few students were hailed as geniuses straight from the academy. They had shown such rapid growth that their rank had grown more rapidly than their height. There was but one, though, who was praised as the very best young shinobi since Naruto Uzumaki…

_ scene change _

Meanwhile a genius was just emerging from one of the hot springs in downtown Konoha. A towel that this genius held in its right hand was casually tossed into a basket without the holder breaking their stride. The stride was a light stroll that lead the genius to a small nearby red bridge sitting just bellow the 4th hokage's chin. The genius looked up at the Hokage faces, carved in stone on the cliff marking the Hidden Leaf's boundaries, and envisioned being carved there as well. The genius' mind drifted as its eyes looked up…

And found something that looked suspicious. Something moving on the 5th Hokage's hair. Before the genius could think to react the object of her suspicion leapt down upon her and landed just a pace behind her, facing away, completely unharmed.

"I thought I'd find you here" The genius reached for its kunai with one hand while forming a seal with the other at the sound of the stranger's voice, smooth and brash. "I've received orders to meet with you". The stranger straightened up his body, braced for the long drop that he had landed from a moment ago. He then turned to face the genius. He had a soft face with large brown eyes and a small smile. His face was wide but sharp, without a hint of fat on him. It would be deemed by many as a perfect face barring a scar on his left cheek that looked almost like a slanted 'T,' with the longer vertical line facing upwards and to right, seemingly pointing to his nose. He wore his blood-red hair straight, with a shorter straight lock draping over the middle of his forehead. It covered the bulk of the leaf design on his headband and ended just before the space between his eyes. He wore longer locks hanging by the outline of his face and ending at his scar. Longer hair rested at back and outlined his face in red. He looked about the young genius' age - 17

"I didn't think the person I was looking for was so…," he paused to look the genius up and down playfully. Said genius was grinding her teeth, daring him to say something out of line, and he chose to accept what would follow. "…cute".

"What did you say to me?" Normally the genius loved to be complemented, especially on her appearance, but from someone she never met before, seemingly _waiting for_ _her? Stalking her?_ The thought alone made her queasy.

Speaking of looks, our genius had them in spades. She wore rather tight, but not overly constricting leather ninja pants that ended at her sandals, which had a slightly higher heel than others. Her pants are never seen meeting her top. Instead, purple bandages were wrapped around her waist, descending diagonally to the left before ending at her hips with a horizontal wrap. The rest of the bandages were wrapped into a large knot of a bow tied on the back of her hips that extended up and out from her body and could be seen while she's facing you. Above that the genius wore a low cut, v-neck blue shirt with a Yin-Yang symbol just below her diaphragm. The shirt was split in half vertically; one half was a creamy light blue while the other was a deeper, darker shade. She had made it tight on her body and and around her arms, showing off her curves. Of course, the only way she could get away with this state of dress without being chewed out by her father was to wear a small blue poncho while at home to cover her "overly sexual" top, as her father had put it. On top of the shirt sat a dark blue sash with the standard leaf headband plate resting on her chest.

While she wore it to show that her home village was close to her heart, frankly most of the men she met used it as an excuse to stare at her beasts. Those all-important organs, by the way, were very large for her frame, making them look even bigger, but still nowhere near the size of tsunade's legendary rack.

Above her sash she wore black mesh that ended just below her collar bone. Her face was delicate and round, giving her an almost younger look, with long dark — brown parted bangs. One lock of hair played on this genius' face similar to her stalker's, but her's was longer and thinner, reaching down to her nose before veering off to the left, finally ending on the outline of her face near the left cheek. The face itself was a bit round, with full (but not chubby) cheeks, and a tiny chin and without a cleft, making a rounded v-like shape. She reluctantly wore scarce amounts of makeup to clan meetings and visits with the Hokage, but for nothing more. Still, even while bare her cheeks was tinted in a soft, rosy pink color even without blushing. Her oval eyes housed silver pupil-less irises that shone like two full moons on a cloudless night. Yes, the Hyuga girl had changed in a humber of ways since Naruto's tale.

"Hanabi Hyuga" He said with his butter-smooth voice. His voice almost sounded like waves against a beach. Sliding perfectly between loud and soft, high and low pitch, flowing endlessly in a constant gradual shift. It was hypnotizing, and damn did it drive Hanabi insane! Just hearing of this _freak _speaking her name with that voice sparked an anger louder and more distinguishable than fireworks.

"Just what do you want from me you fucking creep!" Hanabi scathingly let the profanity slingshot from her mouth with a heated anger, raising by the second. She lifted her kunai protectively over her torso, just above her other hand, hand sign kept in position. She bent her knees and leaned forwards, bracing herself for an oncoming skirmish. The stranger simply looked at her with a grin, deflecting her words without a need for a frown or retaliation. This angered her even more, if that were possible.

"I've come to fight you" A sparkle in the stranger's eye formed. Hanabi was shocked for a moment by the bluntness in which he said it. He continued with a wide sideways grin, showing off his almost glowing white teeth. "I'm glad to see that you came prepared"

At that he leapt at her with a predictable quickness, considering that he had just fallen 80 or 90 some-odd feet and landed without a hint of pain or injury. The Hyuga was ready to react and immediately activated her prized Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan.

The Byakugan was considered the second most powerful eye skill that a shinobi could possess, tailing the mighty Sharingan held by the Uchiha clan. It had perception skill several thousand times that of a normal shinobi, granting the users ability to see almost three hundred and sixty degrees around them without even moving their heads. Skilled Byakugan users, such as Hanabi herself and her sister Hinata, can even pan out their vision to see for miles, at the risk, admittedly, of losing close range vision. The Byakugan's detection can also extend to a man's chakra network. This allows them to strike at key points of chakra mobilization called chakra points, and block them. Successful blockage of all 64 chakra points results in almost complete loss of mobility and chakra usage. Hanabi was hailed as the most proficient Byakugan user in ages — even more so than her cousin, Neji.

_Maybe that is why he wants to fight me — to take my Byakugan for himself_, she thought as she clashed kunai with her stalker. She followed up with her free left hand and struck at one of his chakra points, now clearly visible with her Byakugan. He dodged and with a swift swipe of the hand launched a projectile. On closer inspection the small object was a tiny knife shaped to the image of the Leaf shinobi symbol. The Hyuga heiress leaned back to the point of creating a small bridge with her back. Ironically, she was doing this on top of a bridge. She swore to laugh at that later. Now, the stranger created separation between them and launched two more of these curious looking projectiles at her. _What is this, a game? _She laughed at her opponent's feeble attacks, completing her dodge by pushing off her left hand, now planted behind her upside-down head, and gracefully flipped backwards. She threw her kunai and forced her aggressor to jump backwards again. The kunai imbedded itself within the wooden boards of the bridge. A smug smirk appeared on Hanabi's face

She was prepared for the next attack and immediately rushed in to her opponent as she touched the ground. As the Hyuga princess passed her previously used kunai she ripped it out of ground with her left hand, bringing so much force with it that it sent dozens of sizable wooden splinters at her target. Still midair, this target covered his face with his arms to protect himself, and by the time all the splinters had been deflected Hanabi was upon him. She channeled her chakra through the kunai in her right hand and sharpened it to a fine point that jutted out from the tip of the blade, then launched herself at the immobile attacker. The lengthened kunai now stood at around two feet in length, helping to close the gap between the two shinobi. _There's no way he can dodge this _the kunoichi thought arrogantly. She anticipated the sound of metal hit flesh, of the knowledge that victory has been won with one swift blow. She wanted it so much she couldn't wait.

_Clang_

This time though, she couldn't end the battle quickly. Blade met blade as her strange opponent, with deftness that seemed inhuman, pulled out a miniature (about a foot and a half in length) katana out of _who knows where _and ran his own chakra through it, matching Hanabi's in strength. The Hyuga still smiled as she leaned in, using her momentum to travel faster through the air, and taking aim with her right hand. "It's over," she proclaimed. Her palm inched closer into the stranger's personal space.

"You're right" was his rebuke. He changed the nature of the chakra running through his blade to wind — style, easily slicing through Hanabi's chakra kunai. This movement allowed him to lean his entire body to his right. Hanabi's eyes widened; she couldn't stop her attack. He brought his left leg back and snapped it foreword, nailing the kunoichi with a hard kick to the ribs and sending her flying back several feet, off the bridge, landing with a thud. The skilled stranger's landing was much easier to look at; he flipped his now upside-down body upright and landed softly with a click of his ninja sandals. "It _is _over"

Hanabi looked up expecting to see her attacker several feet away, but instead she was greeted with the tip of said attacker's **Katana **(get your minds out of the gutter) merely inches away from her face, now twisted with the frustration of defeat. "Don't get cocky, it'll set you up for failure".

"Who are you" She took her eyes off of the katana and angled them upwards, looking into the stranger's eyes. They were surprisingly warm for the situation at hand.

"My name's Akirai" (Ah-Key-Ray)

"Good to know" The Hyuga princess said, having learned another name to put on her list of people to avoid. She was even thinking of making a new list just for him, called the "People to Avoid at All Costs" list. Instead, she chose to spring her right leg upwards, knocking her aggressor several feet in the air. She quickly got to her feet and ran her nimble fingers through a couple of hand seals. Dragon, Monkey, Ox, Boar… finally she reached her final seal, the Bird, and announced her jutsu proudly.

**"8 Trigrams - Chakra Fireworks"**

Blue chakra flowed through her hands, now raised in the direction of her airborne prey, and converged over the soft skin in the center of her palms. As quickly as the chakra had been gathered it was released, taking the shape of a bright blue orb flying upwards, a line of smoke trailing. Proudly she explained her jutsu;

"This jutsu was inspired by that Sasuke Uchiha's Amaterasu". The Amaterasu was an advanced eye technique that spawned an inextinguishable black flame on whoever the user looked at. The _only_ possible user was Sasuke Uchiha, the _only_ remaining survivor of the Uchiha clan, because _only_ Sharingan users have a chance at activating that jutsu. "I was just annoyed that the Uchiha can outdo us," Hanabi continued. "Either way, the smoke connects the jutsu to me and my eyesight, so when that firework explodes, it sends chakra at whatever I'm looking at. Do you know what I'm looking at?" Her aggressor swore a blue streak. A victorious smile painted Hanabi's face with pride.

It was, in fact, the first jutsu that she created herself. With the strongest Byakugan in her veins, she could invent new ways to attack an enemy's chakra points, even ways some thought impossible. Two years ago she had begun training to create this jutsu, and it was finally perfected just a few months ago. Over a year and a half of development and training was used to achieve these results. Magnificent if she could say so herself. Moreover, this would be the first time she defeated an enemy with her new skill, making for a great milestone for the future.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm looking at your chakra points". Hanabi liked the feeling of victory, and she was about to bathe in it with these next two words. "Goodbye, _Akirai_". At that, to the recently named ninja's horror, the firework settled directly underneath the trapped shinobi,

and exploded.

The thunderous explosive made the kunoichi below brace herself. It felt as if the world was about to crumble in its own convulsion, standing that close. She imagined what it would feel like to be in Akirai's position, but smirked, acknowledging that he probably couldn't feel anything after an attack like that. But as soon as the grin had graced her face it had left, replacing itself with a frown of displeasure and frustration. She looked back at the explosion and saw a figure drop slowly to the ground, landing gently on his feet a few dozen feet from her. In his arms were a large canister with what seemed to have what looked like ancient printing and symbols littering its exterior. Steam billowed from the inside, as if a fire had just been put out in there. Hanabi knew for sure that it was far too large to be hidden on his body, which meant one thing; "A summoning?"

Akirai smiled, a smug twist of the face. He managed to speak through his panting. More than the smile that _she _had been wearing a moment ago, what bothered Hanabi the most was that there still wasn't a scratch on the mysterious stranger. "That's right," he managed. The killer kunoichi could feel his exhaustion after blocking that last attack, but also confidence, radiating out of him brighter than a bonfire. It didn't take the Byakugan to see that. "This canister is special. It allows me to channel my chakra through it and absorb all of the chakra from a ninjutsu attack."

"Looks like it takes a hell of a lot of chakra" Hanabi rebuked, still awed and frustrated to no end by his evasion of her signature attack.

"Oh it does" Akirai stood straight, his grin flourishing into a full smile. "But its well worth it. Now," he pointed his canister towards Hanabi. "I get to use the absorbed chakra on you!" Within a blink of an eye, blinding light burst out of the attacker's hand—held cannon, all but immobilizing the young kunoichi in shock. Thinking on her feet, she began spinning in a circle. To an outsider this would look about as ridiculous as a man's face after getting beaten the shit out of by Sakura Haruno for groping the Tsunade clone's ass. Yes, that ridiculous, but it had a purpose. Hanabi gained speed in her rotation and expanded her chakra outwards. The result was a spiraling ball of chakra surrounding the Hyuga heiress on all sides. These two huge forces of energy collided, causing all but absolute chaos.

Energy collided and expanded, leaving deep gashes in the surrounding environment. The bridge was torn apart, leaving nothing but the hot stream of water it extended across. The wall to the women's baths, only a few paces away, was almost completely torn away, exposing the women to the city elements, including men. The men, respectable and non-respectable, distinguished and obscure, gathered from seemingly anywhere and everywhere, all piling in the small avenue for a view of the bare women. NOT the battle ensuing just feet away, but the WOMEN. Hanabi, emerging on the stream from the massive clash just moments ago, disgustingly noted their behavior. Akirai emerged on the opposing end of the stream and, instead of ignoring the bedlam and havoc ensuing before them, decided to crane his head back to try and look into what was left of the women's hot spring.

"Quit that you lousy perv!" Akirai's now blushing face snapped beck to meet the now nervous eyes of his opponent once more. _Her_ eyes, on the other hand, radiated a fire that could out-burn the sun itself, further shocking the now red-handed shinobi. While he anxiously laughed and sputtered, forlornly trying to find an explanation for his actions, Hanabi was thinking.

"Wait a second" she bellowed. "Were you _peeping_ on me?" Her intense anger managed to boil the hot water in the stream. Akirai continued his desperate sputtering, looking, searching, _scouring to no end_ for an answer.

"Um… no?"

"**WRONG ANSWER!**" was all the warning he got before the angry young woman charged him. Akirai managed to get himself in poison to counter-attack, attempting to preserve what was left of his dignity. _Good look with __**that, **_he grimly thought to himself. Still, he shook himself out of his brooding enough to narrowly dodge a potentially lethal strike from his furious opponent. Akirai caught her arm in the crook of his left elbow and held it against his body, her hands far enough behind his back to avoid her strikes. With his incredible slight-of-hand, the mysterious, yet still infantile shinobi grasped a kunai with his other hand and closed the gap between them. His blow met nothing but air as it was stopped short by the Hyuga princes' other hand.

Hanabi, now having the upper hand, jumped while still holding and being held by her enemy. For a moment she seemed to tower over him, and during that moment Akirai could feel his heart stop and the half cool/half perverted smile on his face whither to a frightful open-mouthed gape. All he could do is gawk as the Hyuga brought her full weight upon his forehead. Forehead met forehead with an ear-ringing thud as her head-butt landed, and even though Akirai was the only one of the two wearing his Leaf headband on the point of impact, he received the most damage. He had to admit, for a pampered princes, Hanabi sure had guts to pull off a move like that. _I really shouldn't do anything perverted around this one if I value my life, _he reflected.

With the blow shocking the perverted shinobi, Hanabi found her long desired opening. She quickly recovered and fell fluidly into her Gentle Fist stance. "8 Trigrams," she announced. The entire world could've probably guessed what would come next. "Two palms," her strikes her graceful and quick, with 2 fingers striking precisely at each of her target's chakra points. "Four Palms," she planted two more blows on him, pushing him back with the force. "Eight Palms… Sixteen Palms… Thirty-Two Palms," for the entire jutsu Hanabi had simply pushed Akirai back in a straight line, but for the final blow she supplely front flipped over her dazed opponent, seemingly gliding through the air in slow motion before softly touching the ground and striking with one two-fingered attack.

"**8 Trigrams - 64 Palms"**

At that one blow, the not only scratched, but now battered shinobi at the other end was sent flying backwards. While in midair, he was brutally assaulted by an onslaught of foreign bursts of chakra, attacking and subduing the points of his own. Fortunately for him he landed beyond the premise of the stream, knocking into the wall for the men's hot spring (which was now empty for obviously perverted reasons — you're not the only one Jiraiya) with a loud 'whack'. Hanabi hovered over the laying shinobi, her now unneeded Byakugan receded, her chakra kunai just inches away from his _too _perfect face.

"Watch who you give advice to," she stated so coldly that Akirai began to wonder if she had taken a dip in some ice water to cool off her scorching intensity just a moment ago. "I'm no genin that you can push around". At that something strange happened. Instead of a fearful look or a forced swallow, she received almost maniacal laughter from her opponent. He laughed with such heartiness that it made the Hyuga heiress let out an uncharacteristic growl of frustration.

"I just can't believe that the great and greatly _stuck up _Hyuga clan can produce an heiress with bigger balls than me". He continued laughing as Hanabi turned a dark shade of red. Although the main branch's successor had tried her best to break away from her sister's shy habits, she still had some of Hinata's character deep,_ deep_ down inside. "I like it!" Akirai leaned into the suddenly coy and embarrassed kunoichi as he stated that last part. He wore a face-dominating smile.

Hanabi was going to kill him. She was going to kill him right now. She was going to let this perverted, narcissistic bastard die on the spot. She lengthened her chakra kunai, straight into his overused throat.

Of course, it never really worked out that way. The figure that she had thought to have killed smiled grotesquely, them simply poofed away, similar to a shadow clone. The main difference between these two clone jutsu is that this clone left behind smoke with a color resembling that of the user's hair. The crimson fumes engulfed the clone's murderer.

"I told you never to let arrogance rule you, didn't I?" An all too familiar voice rang painfully through her ears. But the return of the Hyuga's mysterious attacker was just the beginning of her problems. The smoke now surrounding her began to take effect. Hanabi instantly fell to the ground, her body heating up at a ridiculous rate. She felt herself becoming weaker, with fever-like symptoms beginning to plague her in just moments. She willed herself to stand, to continue fighting, but her movements were weakened, and she doubted her ability to get back on her feet at the rate this was going.

Instantly the suffocating smoke was whipped away by an intense wind. Hanabi looked up in dismay to find the wind being generated by a strange sickle-like sword held by none other than her still unscathed attacker, coming in for the kill. Quickly she ran through some hand signs and called forth her signature jutsu.

**"8 Trigrams - Chakra Fireworks"**

It was commendable that she was able to fire off a jutsu in that state. The jutsu was only a hair away from hitting Akirai if not for an impressively agile dodge. "I think I need to get serious," the strange weapon specialist praised. The firework exploded and launched it's chakra at him, but was countered by the wind chakra released from the blade. The two energies collided, sending the shinobi off course with the shockwave. As he landed on his feet, the kunoichi rose to hers. She thought it was about time to inspect this mysterious offender more closely. With her Byakugan activated, she focused on the blue figure before her. What she saw surprised her.

The man was almost out of chakra, much like her, but chakra seemed to be radiating from his… (no, not penis ya pervs) weapons? Littered throughout his body were pieces of steel, from kunai to his mini katana and Leaf - shuriken. Moreover, the sword he was holding had an absurd amount of chakra stored within it, chakra that wasn't his, or any human's for that matter. The same unnatural chakra emanated from his canister, located several feet away from either shinobi. She could only guess what chakra this was, how Akirai was able to manipulate it, and what this meant on the battle. She knew one thing for sure, though; this guy was a tough customer, and he just brought out the big guns.

Unsure of weather to initiate contact or not, her opponent saved her of her indecision by restoring the wind to his sword, using the last of his chakra, and rushing. Hanabi knew that this was the final clash before they were both completely wiped out, contemplating her next and final moves with precision. The first was dodging the initial swing of the cruel looking blade. The attempt was a diagonal cut, moving his hips and arms from right to left, effectively opening the entire area of his back to the Hyuga heiress. She took the bait, moving in to land a punishing blow with her Gentle Fist, but, of course, the kunoichi wasn't the only one planning out their move. The wind blocked her attack in its tracks, following up with throwing her entire body into the air.

There she hovered, constricted by the remnants of the gale that swept her curvaceous body off its feet. This would be more romantic, however, if she wasn't staring down a powerful shinobi holding a malicious black sword. She mused at the concept of this situation being even remotely romantic, still having the ability to laugh through a painful situation. Still her hastily made plan wasn't ruined; she just needed him to get closer, which she knew he had to do considering the wind holding her still would knock away all light projectiles thrown at her, and the wind-style user had no chakra left to sharpen his weapons enough to break through.

But Akirai was no slouch either. He forced Hanabi's eyes to widen as he did something that would shock even the likes of the famously unpredictable Naruto Uzumaki. What the heiress was looking at was that blade of black steel spinning wildly through the air as it was being hurled towards her. Still incapacitated by the wind, she couldn't evade, and the crook of the sword caught her neck. The spin of blade proved to be Hanabi's savior, as instead of being decapitated, she spun _with_ the sword, being carried by it until crashing into a nearby roof. The points of the black sword both above and below the 'U' shaped curve at the center of the blade imbedded itself into the solid metal of the roof, pinning her and her hands valiantly protecting her neck, to the cold metal. Inexplicably she had escaped without a cut on either her hands or heck, although the violent collision with the roof top would sure leaf a bruise in the morning… and the next… and the next.

Sure enough, though, Akirai had to come in close. His way of doing that was slowly drifting down from seemingly the heavens upon her, landing lighter than a feather. Standing over her, he began to say something. Whatever it was Hanabi didn't know or care. Instead of caring about trivial victory gloating, she brought her head as far back as possible, giving her petit hands just enough room to form a hand seal.

**"8 Trigrams - Chain Mail Expansion"**

Suddenly a web of blue chakra covered Hanabi's form, similar in design to the mesh that she wore under her robe. It seemed to span the entire length of her body, reaching from her head to small feet. Before Akirai could even react, the net expanded, pushing away the deeply planted blade from the ground and hurling it across the landscape. It expanded even further, catching Akirai. _This is just what I've been waiting for. _The entire roof seemed to shine as the chakra furiously expanded and exploded. _It's over_

The brilliant blue light attracted the attention of several other citizens, even the men that were too busy searching for any remaining women that had been bathing during the battle. The glow reflected off of the mid-afternoon sky, igniting the atmosphere in a neon glow.

When the light receded, the roof was nearly unrecognizable. The red steel had multiple bumps and gashes littering its flank. The owner of said roof most likely suffered from stroke at the sight of the damage. But there was more than damage on the desecrated roof. Two figures were locked into a position, one on top of the other, arms and legs firmly into position. Akirai was pushed to the bottom, left hand directing Hanabi's right to the side by the wrist, left arm pushed to the metal roof — if it could still be called that — by the kunoichi's left. His knee was wedged directly underneath her breasts, leg bent down but shoes pointing to her torso. The rest of two shinobi's appendages were stuck in a sloppy heap, leg over leg. Their hair was thrown anywhere and everywhere, draped all over one — another's bodies. Clothes had slight tears and seams were loosened, but nothing serious.

Hanabi repeated her previous thought out loud. "It's all over!"

Akirai's still smooth voice seemed uninfluenced by the situation at hand. "You're right; It _is_ Hanabi" At that he looked down at his foot, still pointed to the Hyuga heiress' torso, and motioned for her to follow his gaze. As soon as he was sure she had her eyes on his foot, he let the game-changer appear. A small, sinister looking blade slid out from his ninja sandals. A blade that, if Akirai wanted to, could've ended this fight. But apparently, the mysterious shinobi, who had gone through all of this waiting to fight the dazzling princess, _didn't_ want to. Similar to the pattern that had arisen ever since the two ninja had first spoken to one-another, Akirai was an enigma. _A mystifying, perverted enigma, _Hanabi thought to herself, defeated.

She had to find out. No riddle was too stupefying for a Hyuga to crack. Still, someone strong enough to defeat a genius couldn't have just popped out of nowhere. Her voice was taken from her along with her victory. The sound that withdrew from her mouth was nothing more than a whisper.

"Just who are you Akirai"


	2. Chapter 2 Diagnosis

**Hey guys! I'm back with the second episode, and I really rushed to get it out as soon as I had time. This is probably the size of my future chapters because it's comfortable for me and I can release a new update once or maybe even twice a month. I'm doing a bit of character development for both Akirai and Hanabi, but I haven't introduced any new characters except for one. Next chapter I plan on making more appearances. **

**I'm sorry if last chapter was a bit hard to read; it was my first upload and all of my attempts to edit it were fruitless. I meant to add lines and stars to signify a change in scene, but I completely fucked up. **

**I don't own Naruto, no matter how much I wish I did. **

**Please leave a review, no matter if you liked it or not. Just a quick one would be great for me, because I'm trying to make this story more enjoyable for you guys.**

**I guess that's all I really have to say for now, so see ya next chapter!**

_PREVIOUSLY_

_Her voice was taken from her along with her victory. The sound that withdrew from her mouth was nothing more than a whisper._

_"Just who are you Akirai__"._

_ beginning of chapter _

She thought she would have a normal day, or at least normal for her standards. She thought she would have calmed down by now. She thought she would be able to get that foolish half gawking, half glowing look off of her face. But most importantly, she thought she would never lose to an opponent, let alone a newcomer who she's never even met before.

_I would've heard about him if he were this… strong. _Hanabi hated to admit it, but she gave credit to the strange ninja. Still she wondered why a Leaf shinobi would attack her out of nowhere like that. And why he carried such odd weaponry on him. The time it would take to make a shuriken in the shape of the villages symbol - why even bother? Moreover, when she looked for the remnants of his arsenal to perhaps learn a bit more about Akirai, all traces of them were gone. The talented Hyuga couldn't even locate it with her Byakugan, which could spot a fly landing on shit over a mile away.

And it wasn't as if she didn't try asking him all of these things in the first place. As soon as her first question had left her lips, the wily teenage shinobi had untied their hands, gave her a beaming smile with a wink that said "you'll find out soon enough", and promptly disappeared into thin air before her eyes. Hanabi's knees had been wobbling, preventing her from jumping off the torn apart roof used as the final set piece for their battle. She had stayed like that with a wild blush and an angry frown for 5 or so minutes, though she couldn't keep track of time in the state that she had been in. Truly, this guy was the definition of an enigma.

Her mind wrapped tightly to these thoughts, she didn't realize the immense damage she was doing to her own garden until Hinata snuck up behind (really just walked right up to, but it saves Hanabi some dignity at least) her and gave Hanabi's shoulder a light tap. Her sister's shyness aside, she truly didn't use a single word to convey her message to the daydreaming kunoichi. All it took was a sweeping gesture to the plants, now drowning in their own soil, to brake Hanabi's trance. At once the younger sister bellowed "Who did this?" to the heavens before noticing the light green watering pale in her hands. She looked down and lamely pointed an index finger at her bowed head in embarrassment, saving Hinata the trouble.

"Oh dear god, what am I going to do" Hanabi exhaled defeatedly. She didn't know whether she was talking about her father's reaction when he saw his garden _ruthlessly murdered _by his youngest daughter, or the thoughts that had drugged her mind into doing it in the first place. Little did she know that Hiashi wasn't the only Hyuga she had to answer to at the moment.

"So…", her elder sibling started. She let the invitation for conversation hang in the air for a moment, discomfort plaguing her with a sideways glance. Hinata didn't wait for the clearly rejected offer to be accepted and went on anyway. "What's got you so flustered Hanabi?" Hanabi's cheeks got a bit more pink than normal as she turned away. Clearly this was NOT the question that the embarrassed plant-assassin had wanted to answer at the time. Hinata, knowing this, lay the bait that would force her predictably rebellious sister into answering.

"Is it a… _Boy_?" The word 'boy' sounded so alien to Hanabi the way it was said, with so much… _teasing_, coming from her notoriously shy older sister no less. Not knowing how to react, blaming it on the tone of voice used but truly for the word said, Hanabi's entire face seemed to glow hot pink, as if she had just swallowed a jalapeno pepper. Apparently this signature blush was genetic, seeing as both heiresses could sport a face of that color when the topic of Boys had come up. But, unlike her more timid sister, the feisty Hanabi shook her head vigorously to shake the blush threatening to paint her entire body (failing miserably) and shouted "He just LEFT! Without saying a word of answer to make up for his previous actions. NO, he just goes and confronts me like that and then LEAVES. What's the matter with him!"

For Hinata this was a bit too much. An angry Hanabi was enough to deal with, but an angry Hanabi with _boy troubles_ could overwhelm even the Hokage herself. Of course Tsunade was prone to fits as well. But Tsunade was a different story altogether; the older heiress wondered with a cringe whether GOD itself could stop the slug princess in that sort of state. Shaking the thoughts from her mind with more success than her younger sister, she tried to have a bit of fun.

"So Konohamaru's countless years of courting has finally gotten you falling for him?" Hinata 'wondered' out loud, suppressing a mischievous giggle. After fixing the major hole in their relationship, her one time of courage was when she was messing with her little sister. And this bout was particularly amusing, considering the hysterical reaction of a now completely flustered Hanabi.

"Wha-who-KONOHAMARU! Why would I fall for THAT goofball! I wasn't even CLOSE to talking about HIM!" While Hanabi exploded with an awkward-looking rage regarding her sister's mention of her not-so-secret admirer, said sister was having the time of her life. "WHAT ARE YOU _LAUGHING_ AT, HINATA?" Hanabi inwardly cursed herself and her sister - but mostly her sister - for causing her to sputter like that. Even still she couldn't calm herself down for another few sentences, continuing her rant on how everyone - her parents - friends - siblings, or sibling rather - and even absolute strangers were now ruining her life. The angry teen saying stereotypical angry teen things. How adorable.

By the time Hinata came back down to earth, Hanabi was getting to the good part;"…And Father always wants me to be a princess, like I'm a doll meant to be pampered. I have feelings! I always wanted to be a _shinobi _for the leaf village, not the Hyuga's little princess crony! And GOD FUCKING FORBID I ask for just a _little _freedom and he throws a hissy fit! And _NOW? _What if he finds out about today! I'm screwed!" Hanabi sounded shattered by the time she had finished, her voice cracking just to confirm it. Hinata knew why her sister turned out to be this fiery. She knew everything.

Hanabi was always her own person. She loved her individuality, which she thought had come from her status as a heiress. She had grown loving the feeling of looking out at the world and saying that she would be great someday, although without knowing what for. Hanabi knew that she may someday inherit the prominent Hyuga clan, but she still didn't necessarily understand exactly what that entailed. Hanabi convinced herself that she was cut out for the position but as she grew, she realized that was not the case. From Hiashi's, their father's, intense training regiment, Hanabi wanted to become a Leaf shinobi more than anything else. Moreover, after watching the intensity within the household during the 4th Shinobi World War, she would get haunted by harrowing nightmares about her future; her entire clan, or even village, riding on her decisions.

The pressure alone would give the almost-teenage Hanabi rashes and pimples. On her thirteenth birthday, Hanabi confronted her then-18-year-old older sister in their room and forced a promise to assume the role of clan leader in her stead. Unbeknownst to Hanabi, Hinata was already moving in on the position, and Neji, although from a side branch, was holding some weight in the power struggle. Between the two, Hanabi didn't have to worry about becoming something that she was afraid she couldn't. After that day she was miraculously rid of her cosmetic situation for life, although her rosier-than-Hyuga-cheeks were suspected (although it was completely untrue) to be a remaining problem.

After that episode Hanabi pledged to distance herself from her father's strict mindset over life. At first she tried dressing in a revealing manner, but although she had never liked it and eventually rid herself of the clothes (mostly for the very entranced attention from guys who happened to pass her by), Hanabi still wore what was absolutely unacceptable by her father's standards and what was comfortable for her; a win-win! She enlisted herself in the academy instead of continuing Hiashi's lessons, skipping straight to genin within a few months and proceeding to become a successful jonin-level kunoichi. In the academy she had learnt about different clans and new words, especially the forbidden, absolutely taboo curse words that were never heard by Hanabi's innocent ears before. She had later decided to make them a part of her every day vocabulary, although the sheer fear of what her father may have done to her prevented their use in front of him.

She was still a Hyuga, but not the Hyuga that her elders had in mind. Hanabi wanted to usher in a new type of Hyuga that wasn't known for arrogance and pride as the highest ranking clan in the Leaf, but a friendly and noble clan that respected fellow Leaf citizens at the same level as themselves. The aftermath of all of these thoughts and actions was the generation of a more down-to-earth, sensible Hanabi. Of course, a 'complete brat' or 'firecracker' were also common descriptions for the Hyuga heiress, as she was still spirited and reckless to a fault at times.

In her sister's eyes, she would make a completely disastrous leader, but an incredible shinobi. Hanabi wouldn't have it any other way.

Back to the conversation, if you could call it that, at hand (or out of hand), Hinata still had know idea what her kid sister meant by all of her blathering. Still the tirade continued, but Hinata stopped listening and focused on the garden. Thinking of what an outraged Hanabi may do to the vulnerable flowers with a shudder, she decided to take care of it alone.

"Hanabi… how about you go to town to… calm down a bit". Hinata, back to her coy ways, still left spaces in her sentences, especially when giving an order to someone. Of course it didn't sound like an order to the youngest of the duo, more like a question. Still, it shook Hanabi from her tirade, which was good enough for Hinata.

Hanabi simply gawked from her sister to the soaking garden bed. When her gaze returned to the former, she had made up her mind; with a curt nod and a shuffle of feet, Hanabi was clamoring to the front gate of the Hyuga Compound, just before giving her big sister a gleeful smile and promptly disappearing among the streets of the Leaf. Hinata sighed with a shake of the head and looked out at the mess before her. _It's going to be a long day._

_ scene change _

Hanabi felt a bit bad about her sister's new workload, but she didn't wallow in it. She had left and rapidly got over the guilt with bowling and sushi from the new restaurant in the center of town. After making a vow to herself and her waitress to return again next week, she took her leave. As she was walking out of the restaurant into the center of town, she greedily took one of the remnants of her sushi roll - that was meant for Hinata - and stuck it in her mouth with her eyes clenched shut in delight.

Although the last thing she needed to think about was food, she found the banner to a little booth that had taken her attention hostage. A small banner that spelled out in bright red ink on beige canvas "Ichiraku Ramen". Yes _the _Ichiraku, famous for the frequent visits of the city hero, Naruto Uzumaki. Apparently, since he was a kid he had loved Ichiraku's and never grew out of the taste. Granted Naruto was never one for monumental "inward growth". He was still a little kid inside his 23 year old body.

Without further digression, the ramen shop spiked her interest for the very reason it was famous in the first place; she had wanted to see Naruto and speak to him personally. Although Hanabi had seen him multiple times on occasion, she had only spoken to him a handful of moments. She wanted to know more about the city hero in the flesh, instead of untrustworthy rumors and rare sightings.

Curiosity, which had killed many cats and nearly one rash Hyuga heiress multiple times, took hold of Hanabi and willed her to step closer to the little shop. She heard a cheery voice politely thank the old man who ran the shop before slurping down what sounded like half of the bowl. The voice sounded very _very _familiar, and, forgetting about the possibility of finding Naruto, she investigated. As Hanabi pulled back the cloth draping from the ceiling to walk inside, she was greeted with a deadly sharp face. Flabbergasted eyes met one another as the one sitting slowly sucked the last of a noodle hanging lazily from the corner of his mouth. He seemed so surprised to see Hanabi that his red hair nearly spiked in shock.

This was unbelievable.

"Akirai?"

"Uh-huh", the speechless shinobi barely managed. The red haired ninja was now wearing something much more casual than the dark robe and flak jacket she had seen on him earlier. He wore a plain t-shirt matching the color of his locks and black sweatpants. The muscles on his arms were revealed by the short sleeved tee, surprisingly toned. In fact, his arm muscles looked stronger than any other ninja that Hanabi had seen in the Leaf. Knowing how he fought during their battle, she realized that it must have been all of the swordplay that he does. Looking at him, his skin was quite pale. Granted, not as pallid as the Hyuga clan but definitely pale. Moreover, his headband was removed from is forehead and instead tied to his upper arm for comfort. Most of his gear was removed from his body but he still carried his ninja pouch on his waist, sitting just to the right of his lower back.

What happened in the next few seconds confounded all in sight, including the old man chef. He simply stood there, allowing the ramen he had been cooking to crust and lightly burn. A light dust settled after the scuffle, with Hanabi emerging on top of the poor Akirai. She was straddling his diaphragm, hands at his collarbone, threatening to encroach on the shinobi's vulnerable neck. Her eyes were nearly sparking flame, burning her victim hollow with her glare. "You really are a feisty one, princess", he said, recollecting himself despite the recent events and maintaining a cool grin.

As response Hanabi allowed her petit yet deceivingly strong hands slide ever closer to his neck. "Now speak up. Why did you attack me?"

"Well look who's currently attacking who, Hanabi", he said still baring that frustrating smile. With a frown she looked toward the Leaf shinobi headband bound to his shoulder. Defeatedly, the Hyuga heiress disengaged with Akirai, allowing him to stand. After standing the mysterious shinobi sat on one of the stools, inviting Hanabi to sit on the adjacent one with a tap on the seat. Despite the awkwardness of the situation Hanabi, albeit after a cold stare, took the invitation and sat down.

"What are you doing here?" Staring at the table Hanabi completely ignored the attention from spectators.

"I was just speaking to Naruto Uzumaki", at that Hanabi came back to her spirited nature with a shocked look. Seeing this Akirai turned and laughed. His laugh was so genuine that it sounded childish. "What, haven't you ever eaten with him?"

His answer was given to him in the form of an absent shake of the head. He laughed once again and continued, "Now that I'm switching from the ANBU I've been speaking with the higher ups every day."

That was a lie. A complete lie. Hanabi had been to the black ops' base, seen the entire core without their masks (being a Hyuga heiress with x-ray vision has it's perks) and never did she remember red hair and green eyes. Yet his face was so genuine as it looked up towards the ceiling in thought. After a slight hesitation, Hanabi steeled herself and confronted this liar.

"That's not true. I've never seen your face!" Akirai completely transformed in the blink of an eye. A rather lighthearted smile morphed into a slightly vexed frown complemented by flaming eyes. No doubt about it, he was dead serious.

Without a word Akirai got to his feet and threw Hanabi from her chair and into his arms. Holding her he leapt from his position, out the shop and up to the rooftops. Being carried bridal style, Hanabi couldn't retaliate, his arms holding her to his torso. Furthermore he had pinned her arms between their bodies, preventing any completely expected punches to the neck. Utterly shocked and incapacitated she let out a shriek that was lost in the wind at the speed that they were shooting across the roofs. After a few moments they stopped atop an exceptionally tall building, completely invisible to the street and surrounding houses. He placed her on the steel panels that lined the roof, placing a hand in front of her face to stop her from hitting him

It didn't work.

Hanabi slammed her fist into his scarred cheek, knocking the piss out of him. He then fell to the ground with unthinkable force, leaving a nasty red mark that would probably become blue the next morning. Flexing his jaw in pain, Akirai stood to meet the ever angry Hanabi with a defensive raise of the arms. "I'm not trying to hurt you". Meanwhile he was completely confounded by this girl. How could she have such strength? More importantly, why the hell is she so mad all the time. Then Akirai thought to what he learned as an early teen years ago. _She must be having…, _he shuddered, ending the thought before it crept its way to his lips. Heaven forbid he actually speak what he was thinking to her; he wouldn't live to see the evening.

"Well I am"

"Fucking shit" Akirai's sighed the expletives defeatedly, eyes rolling as he saw her charge him. Now he finally realized how the Naru-Saku stories could have happened. _You really picked the worst days to ask her out Naruto_. "Will you just stop trying to beat me senseless long enough to hear me out!" Hanabi was in the middle of following through with her fist to the laying Akirai's head when she heard the words resonate in her mind. She proceeded to stop her attack and let the fist hang just inches away from his face. He let his gaze lazily glide from her imposing fist to her even more imposing face. "Sit".

Hanabi reluctantly melted her anger, managing to close the distance between them without attempting to kill him - for now. She used her arm to smoothly lower herself to the metallic panels next to Akirai. Both shinobi's elbows uncomfortably brushed against each other, causing Akirai to retreat a few inches. He then proceeded to dissect her face for any signs of his impending doom, and when he failed to find them the mysterious shinobi began.

"I'm going to tell you a few things that no one can know, ok?" Now Hanabi was interested. The barbaric manner in which he lead them to this spot was now almost sensible, preventing an even larger scene to be created and finding a spot to fess up without the prying eyes and ears of civilians. Like a child being offered a succulent candy Hanabi vigorously nodded her inaudible oath not to share his secret. At that the story continues.

"I was born to parents I've never met, ones that were ruthlessly murdered before I could remember. As an orphan I was sent to live with the others at an orphanage. The orphanage was rough, but through my experience there I garnered the attention of a man who changed my life. This man saw my…" Akirai paused to make an expression that seemed a paradox. It was giving off a bright and a somber presence at the same time, not a smile nor a frown. Hanabi looked on, vexed. "…potential, and placed me in an elite training program. This program had similar methods as the Foundation, but more strict. By the age of 12 I had finished most of my training and placed on a top secret black ops team. This team was only made up of three people, all people who've never shown their faces to the public. These three were the Leaf's _hidden army_. We were invisible and nonexistent to anyone other than the Hokage themselves. I left the team almost 2 months ago to transfer to the main core. With my experience Lady Tsunade placed me at jonin level."

"But why"

Why I left or -"

Why _everything_?" Hanabi's mind was racing faster than a horse. A secret team. Hidden Army? Was he really that good?

"Well I left because the team disbanded". Akirai seemed to ignore Hanabi's request for a full explanation, skipping right to the question that he had promoted earlier. "One of my teammates was KIA"

That was all Hanabi got from the strange shinobi for the rest of the day. After his previous statement he had assumed a blank position, staring off into the void of imagination. The talented-eyed kunoichi could sense but one emotion that he left lingering on his face, though; guilt. Without a word Akirai rose to his feet and assumed the seal for the teleportation jutsu. Before he could disappear in a white puff of smoke, though, his hand seal was smushed gingerly yet aggressively into a loose ball.

"At least tell me your last name" Hanabi offered. She needed a full name if she was going to find out more about his mysterious stranger. Her eyes burrowed into his, nearly reaching into his and pulling out the answers she needed through his teeth. Helpless, Akirai said one word;

"Goruono"

And with that he was gone, cleverly weaving a one handed seal with his free off-hand.

_Akirai Goruono, _Hanabi thought, focused to a sharp beam of lightning. _I've got some work to do tonight._

Meanwhile, downtown, a head of crimson hair appeared out of a puff of white smoke. The shinobi stepped fully out of the smoke to reveal a red t-shirt and pitch black sweatpants. This, unfortunately, aroused the attention of a particular individual. One that had never seen this ninja before in his life. One that is curious and headstrong to a fault.

"Who are you?


End file.
